Hepatitis C rates in Oregon soar above national average

"About 80 percent of the people who die from hepatitis C in Oregon are between 45 to 64 years old."

When it comes to viral infections in Oregon, hepatitis C is far deadlier than AIDS.

A report out this week shows that infections from hepatitis C remained fairly stable in Oregon between 2009 and 2013 but deaths from the virus climbed steadily over that period. They're now six times higher than deaths from AIDS.

"There are 5,000 people living with HIV in our state," said Dr. Ann Thomas, a public health physician. "There are almost 10 times as many people living with hepatitis C."

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FDA Safety Alert: NSAIDS

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a communication strengthening an existing warning label that non-aspirin nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) increase the chance of a heart attack or stroke.  This includes prescribed and over-the-counter non-aspirin NSAID medications.

Many people with hepatitis C suffer from extrahepatic conditions of hepatitis C and may take NSAIDs or medications that contain NSAIDs.   Read this FDA communication FDA carefully. Talk with your medical provider about what you should take, how often and what are the alternatives that are safe to take.

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/ucm451800.htm

New web site for Cure Hepatitis C is now live

The new web site for Cure Hepatitis C is now live!  Check it out at http://hepatitis-c.curetoday.com/

Also: Check out the Spring 2015 Issue, featuring Alan Franciscus.

Spring 2015

Hepatitis C outbreak Dr. Dipak Desai sentenced to federal prison for fraud

After years of silence, Dr. Dipak Desai spoke publicly Thursday about the 2007 hepatitis C outbreak at his once-busy endoscopy center.

“I’m sorry sir, sorry,” Desai said in an emotional voice, as Senior U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks in Reno was about to sentence him to 71 months in prison for his role in a multimillion-dollar health care fraud scheme tied to the deadly outbreak.

Before that, in a Las Vegas courtroom linked by video conference, Assistant U.S. Attorney Crane Pomerantz spoke of his disdain for the man at the center of the outbreak.

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2 new hepatitis C drugs to be available in November in Egypt

CAIRO: Minister of Health Adel al-Adawy announced that two new hepatitis C drugs, Harvoni and Viekira, are to be available at the hepatitis treatment centers by next November, youm7 reported Wednesday.

There are 2.3 million hepatitis C patients in Egypt, while 996,642 patients applied on the website of the National Committee for the Control of Viral Hepatitis to be treated by Sovaldi until last June, according to Adawy.

He added that 85,536 patients were provided with the treatment until the end of June.

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Canada: Retired nurse from Halton was shocked when she was diagnosed with Hep C

Halton residents asked to recognize World Hepatitis Day by tweeting

 

She spent most of her adult life working as an emergency room nurse and was looking forward to a less stressful retirement.

So the Halton resident never imagined a routine check-up with her family doctor would reveal she had contracted Hepatitis C.

“It came as a complete shock,” said the married woman with three adult sons. “I didn’t have any inkling I had this disease.

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Hepatitis C surge in central Ohio may spur needle-exchange program

The boom in heroin use paired with a surge in hepatitis C infections in Franklin County and across Ohio have heightened worries about the spread of other diseases, particularly HIV, and sparked conversations about a local needle exchange.

Hepatitis C, a treatable but sometimes deadly viral disease that attacks the liver, was diagnosed in 719 people in Franklin County five years ago. The number had nearly doubled by last year, to 1,369, according to data from Columbus Public Health. So far this year, the county is on pace to record more than 1,400 cases. In just one year, the number of hepatitis C cases statewide grew from 10,020 in 2013 to 15,887 in 2014.

Some of that most certainly is due to a push for testing at-risk baby boomers that has been fueled by better treatments. But there’s little question among doctors and public-health leaders that needle-sharing by people using heroin and other drugs is playing a role. Last year, 603 of the cases in Franklin County were in people 34 or younger.

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